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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · lie · last · rest · degree · prune · root · bulb

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. degree — temperature
  3. lie — to recline
  4. last — to go on
  5. prune — to trim
  6. last — final
  7. field — a subject
  8. degree — an amount
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. root — of a plant
  11. rest — a break
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. last — finally
  15. root — the cause
  16. field — farmland
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rest — what's left
  19. prune — to trim
  20. field — for sport
  21. root — of a word
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bulb — for light
  24. degree — from a university

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com